


The Getting Warmer Job

by NienteZero



Category: Leverage
Genre: Fluff, Food, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Multi, eliot needs a hot bath
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:00:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28705569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NienteZero/pseuds/NienteZero
Summary: After a rough day in the winter weather, Hardison and Parker get Eliot warm and cozy.
Relationships: Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer
Comments: 8
Kudos: 94





	The Getting Warmer Job

**Author's Note:**

  * For [skymning](https://archiveofourown.org/users/skymning/gifts).



> For my dear friend Skymning who did not know that they were specifying their own gift when I asked for some h/c ideas. Happy Birthday! It's a rough one, but you should know that as soon as possible we will indulge every ridiculous fantasy of me cooking and feeding you breakfast while you eat breakfast and do not lift a finger to prepare it.

_December 23rd, somewhere in Pennsylvania_

"We were supposed to be back in Portland by now," Hardison said as he helped Eliot limp down the driveway of a resort hotel with an air of faded glory in the middle of nowhere, Pennsylvania. His grumbling was covering his concern for Eliot. 

"It's only the twenty third," Parker said, contorting around from under Eliot's other arm to look at Hardison, "we will be back before Christmas. And this place looks way better than anywhere I've shacked up after a job went wrong."

Eliot didn't say anything, which was telling. He was letting Hardison carry way more of his weight than Hardison would have expected.

One mark who'd been too convinced by their grift.  
One ski chalet rigged with explosives.  
One self sacrificing Eliot pushing Parker and Hardison out of the way.  
One _long_ walk down a snowy mountain.  
One fall into deep snow because somebody was pretending that they didn't need their partners to help them even though they just got blown up.

Not a good time for Eliot Spencer. He was shivering and limping and obviously needed to get the chill out of his bones before things got worse.

"Wait here," Parker said, "I'll get us a room."

"This close to Christmas, they might be full," Hardison said dubiously.

"I'm sure they'll have something," Parker said determinedly.

Some minutes later she popped back up from beside Hardison. He jumped slightly.

"We've got the Royal Suite," Parker said, "It was all they had left."

The Royal Suite was something beyond Hardison's possible expectation. He helped Eliot across the threshold and looked around. The most obvious, unmissable feature was the two story-tall champagne glass shaped hot tub.

"What-" Hardison said, "on earth."

"Look, the bed is heart-shaped!" Parker said, running into the huge bedroom to bounce on the bed.

"No boots on the bed," Eliot grumbled from where he was leaning on Hardison.

"Come help me out here," Hardison said to Parker, "we gotta get these wet clothes off El, and get him up into that tub."

It took all three of them to get Eliot out of his boots and clothes and hauled up the spiral stairway that led up to the platform around the hot tub.

Hardison wrinkled his nose.

"This thing needs all the chemical help in the world, but I guess beggars can't be choosers."

"Don't be a weenie," said Parker, "Just run the water and put all the little bottles of shampoo in, it'll be fine. I'm going to get us some food."

Hardison, balancing a swaying and shivering Eliot on one arm while he fiddled with the tub's controls with the other hand, looked up to ask Parker where she thought she was going to find food, but she was already gone from the room.

As soon as the tub was full, Hardison lowered Eliot into it.

Eliot groaned blissfully, "feels real good, man."

"You better not have injured something that a good soak can't fix," Hardison said anxiously.

Eliot slid down until his head was underwater and came back up, pushing his hair off his face. Hardison could see scratches and dark red areas that would blow up to spectacular looking bruising by the morning, but nothing that looked serious.

"Nah, just sore. And cold. But that's gettin' better." Eliot said.

He tilted his head at Hardison, eyes narrowing in a look that could be interpreted as frightening or seductive depending on whether you were his long-suffering boyfriend.

"You should get your ass in here with me."

"Nuh-uh, I am not getting into that pit of other people's bacteria," Hardison said. 

"You have five seconds to get your clothes off and get in here or you're coming in fully dressed," Eliot said. 

He looked completely relaxed, leaning back against the side of the tub, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. But Hardison knew how fast he could move.

"Fine, fine, I'm coming," he said, moving rapidly to disrobe and slide in beside Eliot, "but I'm blaming you if we all come down with consumption."

The water did feel amazing, steaming hot, with the jets sending out relaxing bubbles. And with all the little shampoos tipped in it smelled pretty good. Woodsy and spicy, a good match for being in a hot tub with Eliot.

Eliot didn't open his eyes but did make a grabby hand motion, his arm stretched out over the edge of the tub. Eliot didn't always initiate contact, and when he did it was always like this - casual, as if he could just say he was joking.

Personally Hardison thought that was the sign of a twisted relationship with masculinity. But seeing as he personally was masculine as fuck and always down to cuddle, he just went with it, sliding under Eliot's arm and pressing against his side, throwing one long leg casually over Eliot's legs.

"I win at Legs!" he declared.

"That ain't a thing," Eliot grumbled.

"You're just sore because Legs only has one round of gameplay."

"Dammit, Hardison, Parker nearly put you through the bedframe when you two were wrassling to see who could have their leg on top of the pile. You're children," he muttered. But he did bring his other hand down to rest possessively over Hardison's thigh.

They had a good fifteen minutes soaking and leaning against each other tiredly before Parker reappeared, somehow on the landing for the hot tub even though neither of them heard her come up the stairs. She had a black apron tied up to make a heavy looking bag with her.

"First of all, frites!" she said, producing three large paper cones of hot, thin french fries and handing them off. 

"Eliot, hold mine for me," she said.

She put the bag down on the floor where it made a heavy thud and an ominous clink, and rapidly added her clothes to the pile.

Sighing contentedly, she slid into the tub and took her cone of frites from Eliot.

They were hot, salty, crispy perfection, lightly dusted with finely crushed garlic and herbs. The tub was silent except for the sounds of enthusiastic eating while they all sated the sharpest of the hunger they were feeling.

"Damn, those were good," Hardison said, tossing his empty paper cone onto the floor next to the tub, "what else did you get?"

"Only the bar was serving hot food," Parker said, "I swung by and got the frites right before I came back. But I got cheese and things from the main restaurant kitchen. Things we can eat with our hands."

Hardison made grabbing motions toward the bag of food.

"No way. We ain't eating dinner in the hot tub," Eliot growled.

"Why not? I'm warm, I'm comfortable, I've got my two best people, and I'm hungry," Hardison said.

"Well first of all, you won't taste anything," Eliot said, "won't be able to smell anything for all the chlorine, and smell is important to flavor. And the sensations won't be right, when you're sitting in here boiling like a lobster. Food needs to be enjoyed in the right setting. S'like how airplane food tastes so bad because the air pressure in the cabin's all wrong for the olfactory and gustatory senses, man."

"Oh, but it was okay to eat the fries?" Hardison challenged.

"Gotta eat 'em while they're hot, besides, where were we going to put them down?"

Eliot was already standing, water dripping down his stocky body. 

Hardison looked up at him, disinclined to argue more given the view that he had.

"Okay, fine, but I'm not done soaking my aching body, I'm getting right back in after we eat," he said as he stood up.

Parker flipped herself out of the tub into a handstand on the edge of it, from which she dropped down, throwing herself toward the stem of the "glass" and shimmying down it to land in a roll and come to a standstill in front of the bed.

"Oh, that was fun," she said.

Eliot looked at Hardison with a grin and they exchanged a smug secret handshake.

Hefting up the makeshift bag that Parker had brought back, a puzzled frown crossed Eliot's face.

"What exactly did you steal?" he asked.

"Cheeses, like I said," Parker said, digging through the room closet and pulling lush terry robes out, "bread, sausage, little pickles, some roasted potato things. Whatever looked good in the kitchen."

Eliot gave her a significant look. The bag was way too heavy and bulky for that to be all.

"What else?" He set the bag down and opened it. His face wavered between delight and horror.

"Parker, you stole a whole raclette grill, a half wheel of cheese, and three bottles of kirsch."

Parker shrugged.

"I'm starving," she said, "and you are going to wrap up in one of these fluffy robes and let us feed you things. So it was either this, or I was going to have to steal us a chef."

Hardison smacked Eliot gently on the ass, carefully avoiding any bruised spots, "and baby, you're the only chef we want."

_December 25th, Portland_  
So maybe Eliot had been up half of Christmas Eve night getting food prepped at the last minute after a cross-country flight. But there was always time for one more special dish. If Christmas dinner with Sophie, Nate, and Maggie included a bubbling hot pan of tartiflette along with Eliot's usual full spread of dishes, that was between him and some warm alpine memories.

**Author's Note:**

> Full credit to my partner for the content of Eliot's "you can't eat in a hot tub!" speech.


End file.
